Winnipeg sisters celebrate graduation following heartbreak and sacrifice

Graduation season is upon us and it’s a time for high school students to reflect on the challenges and accomplishments that have gotten them to this point, but for three Winnipeg sisters, their path to graduation was one marked with heartbreak, sacrifice, and resilience.

When Jileen Easter walked across the stage to graduate from Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute on Wednesday, it was a moment she had been working towards for years.

However, her journey to don her cap and gown on Wednesday was not easy.

Jileen and her two older sisters have been on their own since their grandmother, who was their legal guardian, died in November 2020.

"We became more reliant on each other because I think it was just a moment of realization that we didn't really have anyone else after she left,” said Jileen’s sister Nichole Easter.

Jileen's oldest sister Amber, only 18-years-old at the time, stepped up to become the legal guardian, getting a job so her younger sisters could continue at school.

"Even though I don't think any 18-year-old should have those thoughts of having to sacrifice their careers for me, I'm happy she gave me the opportunity,” Jileen said.

The sacrifice pushed Jileen to work hard at her classes and excel in school.

"I sat there thinking, I want to make my sisters’ work worth it,” Jileen said.

“So I sat there and said I’m not just going to skip school, I’m not going to leave it. I'm going to take school as much as I can because she is working for me. If she didn't work, I wouldn't have what I have now."

Nichole, who graduated from Daniel McIntyre last year, said she is proud of the work her sister has accomplished.

“To see her going up on stage even throughout all this hard time, she managed to like persevere and just push on through and continue on when a lot of people would falter or have issues. She is very resilient, I’ve got to admit,” Nichole said.

Now with her high school diploma in hand, Jileen is planning on attending Red River College Polytechnic, to take business and digital media classes, thanks to a scholarship she received.

She hopes to one day start her own business and honour the sacrifice of her sisters.

"I owe them almost the whole world. Because they've done everything for me. They’ve made sure I’ve had food, they made sure I had security. They gave me their childhood,” Jileen said.